Why proper footings are important
Masonry repairs Toronto | Brick pillar replacement
Footings are an important part of foundation construction. They are made of concrete, mostly with rebar reinforcement that has been poured into an excavated area. The purpose of footings is to support the foundation and prevent settling.
If footings arent properly formed, the entire foundation or structure on top could move. See below: a pillar we did last week. The footing below was not properly done, so it started leaning to the left. You can see that the pillar and decorative wood piece are the items keeping the roof up. If a footing starts to shift, that means the support is not working as it should.
The scope of work for a new brick pillar should look like this:
- Jack up the porch roof
- Remove decorative wood post
- Break down pillar 4 ft deep and remove damaged footing
- Remove rubble from site
- Build a new concrete footing
- Build up new pillar matching bricks and mortar as close as possible to the original.
Here is the after photo from the brick pillar we did in April 2018. The pillar is now straight and fully supporting the porch roof. Unfortunately the rest of the deck looks a little lopsided and may have to be repaired, but at least it is not a health hazard!
